Ever feel like youre toiling away on client after client, year after year with no end in sight? Are you seeing the same paycheck every week, every month, every year, despite rising costs in living?
If this is the case, Van Michael Stylist and Founder/CEO of Six Figure Hairdresser, Harry Wood, says its time to pull yourself out of a salary rut.
Wood, who has been a stylist for 20+ years, was surrounded by some of the best in the business when he started his career at Van Michael salons and quickly realized there was no reason hairdressing cant be just as profitable as any other occupation.
Now, he has taken his knowledge and experience and created a program any hairdresser can learn from and pave their own way to a six-figure salary.
The Six Figure Hairdresser System
When designing the Six Figure Hairdresser model, Wood had two main goals in mindraising professional standards in the beauty industry and helping fellow stylists become more successful.
The program covers everything from setting attainable goals to marketing yourself as a brand, and is designed for everyday use with a simple and straightforward structure.
Six Figure is about teaching people how to become the person they want to be in their career, says Wood. Whether they want to work three days per week and spend more time with their family, or maybe they want to work on the fashion side of the businesstheres a way to make it happen.
During the goal setting and career mapping portion of the program, Wood relies on his experience as a triathlete and trainerskills he has found translate to coaching stylists, too.
I teach them to look at the big picture, he says. Hairdressers sometimes think theyll have one clientele for their whole career.
But Wood coaches, Its business. We have personal relationships, but if you want to make more money, you have to be willing to charge more.
In his program, Wood also emphasizes that a six-figure salary is not just for celebrity stylistsa common misconception. He teaches all levels of technicians, focusing on customer service and smart planning, not just the technical side of cutting hair.
As a performance coach, I look at performance as retail, service and education, says Wood. Sometimes its a matter of looking at the systems that work and redefining the ones that dont. Things always have to be recalibrated.
For example, if we have a customer appreciation day, I would calibrate goals and determine what performance should be. Could you do a thousand dollars in retail on that day if we raise the bar?
Avoiding Common Pitfalls
Performance coaching stylists can be tricky when youre focusing on the big picture. Wood advices, Dont make it about the numbersmake it about how you deliver the service.
Were trying to teach this industry how to do business in a more white-collar way, he adds. We need to look at our professional license the same way a doctor, dermatologist or dentist does.
In an industry where the focus in on relationships, rather than the professional side, this is a stumbling block for many. Were going to have those relationships, and thats ok, but we need to understand the business dynamics behind them, says Wood.